Method of manufacturing heat-dissipating device without injection tube and object manufactured by the method

ABSTRACT

A method of manufacturing a heat-dissipating device without injection tube and an object manufactured by the method. The method includes the steps of: a) providing an upper casing and a lower casing, wherein a receiving space is defined between the upper casing and the lower casing; b) positioning a capillary and a brace in the receiving space, welding the upper casing and the lower casing in a manner to seal a seam therebetween hermetically, and reserving a crevice; c) sintering; d) injecting a liquid working medium from the crevice into the receiving space; and e) putting the combination of the upper casing and the lower casing into which the liquid working medium has been injected in step d) in a vacuum environment and welding the crevice quickly to seal the crevice hermetically. An exposed heat-dissipating device without injection tube effective in dissipating heat is manufactured by the method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to heat-dissipating technology, and more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a heat-dissipating device without injection tube and an object manufactured by the method.

2. Description of Related Art

Conventional heat-dissipating devices, such as flat heat pipes, loop heat pipes, and vapor chambers, perform heat transfer by a liquid phase change of a working medium.

A manufacturing process of a conventional vapor chamber entails welding the periphery thereof, drilling, pipe-welding, performing vacuum filling, sealing pipe mouth, and spot welding. Alternatively, the manufacturing process entails reserving a filling hole during the step of pressing upper and lower covers of the vapor chamber to thereby dispense with the aforesaid drilling step. However, an injection tube 0.5˜3 cm long usually remains outside of the vapor chamber thus manufactured. Furthermore, the vapor chamber thus manufactured is usually flawed with inefficient temperature uniformity or heat transfer because the control over the manufacturing process is hardly easy. Furthermore, an exposed injection tube is a good location where stress is concentrated; as a result, the exposed injection tube is susceptible to damage, unreliable, and likely to be hit and severed because it is exposed.

In view of this, the inventor of this application filed a patent application (US 2009/0288815 A1) later, to put forth a injection tube-free heat transfer device that solves the problems facing the conventional heat transfer device. The inventor of this application developed a technique, which is innovative and novel when compared with what is disclosed in the aforesaid patent, and filed this patent application based on the technique.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a heat-dissipating device without injection tube and an object manufactured by the method, which have novelty over the prior art, feature high reliability, and has high heat dissipation performance.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a heat-dissipating device without injection tube and an object manufactured by the method, wherein a liquid working medium injecting location (that is, fissure) is a smooth hermetically sealed surface.

In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a heat-dissipating device without injection tube. The method comprises the steps of: a) providing an upper casing and a lower casing, wherein a receiving space is defined between the upper casing and the lower casing; b) positioning a capillary and a brace in the receiving space, welding the upper casing and the lower casing in a manner to seal a seam therebetween hermetically, and reserving a crevice, wherein the capillary comprises an upper portion and a lower portion, and the brace is positioned between the upper portion and the lower portion to support and space apart the upper portion and the lower portion; c) sintering a combination of the upper casing and the lower casing welded together in step b); d) injecting a liquid working medium from the crevice into the receiving space, wherein the liquid working medium thus injected is of predetermined quantity; and e) putting a combination of the upper casing and the lower casing into which the liquid working medium has been injected in step d) in a vacuum environment and welding the crevice quickly to seal the crevice hermetically.

In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention provides a heat-dissipating device without injection tube, comprising: an upper casing and a lower casing, wherein a receiving space is defined therebetween, and the receiving space has therein a capillary, a brace, and a liquid working medium; the capillary comprising an upper portion and a lower portion; the brace positioned between the upper portion and the lower portion to space apart the upper portion and the lower portion; the liquid working medium being of predetermined quantity, wherein the capillary and the brace are sintered to thereby be coupled to the upper casing and the lower casing; and a crevice formed by welding a seam between the upper and lower casings and sealed hermetically by high-energy welding.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a manufacturing method and an object manufactured by the method, which have novelty over the prior art, feature high reliability, and have high heat dissipation performance, wherein a liquid working medium injecting location (that is, fissure) is a smooth hermetically sealed surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Structures and features of the present invention are hereunder illustrated with preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an upper casing and a lower casing according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the upper casing and the lower casing which are put together according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the partial structure of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a brace;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a finished product according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing that the upper and lower casings have upper and lower wicks, respectively;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the third preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional schematic view of the third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 6, in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a heat-dissipating device without injection tube essentially comprises the steps of:

a) providing an upper casing 11 and a lower casing 15, such that a receiving space 19 is defined between the upper casing 11 and the lower casing 15 (see FIG. 1);

b) positioning a capillary 21 and a brace 25 in the receiving space 19, welding the upper casing 11 and the lower casing 15 together in a manner to seal the seam therebetween hermetically and reserving a crevice 18, wherein the capillary 21 comprises an upper portion 211 and a lower portion 212, the upper portion 211 being in contact with the bottom surface of the upper casing 11, the lower portion 212 being in contact with the top surface of the lower casing 15, the brace 25 being disposed between the upper portion 211 and the lower portion 212 to support and space apart the upper portion 211 and the lower portion 212 (see FIG. 2 through FIG. 4); in this embodiment, the capillary 21 is an annular metallic mesh that forms the upper portion 211 and the lower portion 212 instantly and spontaneously when positioned in the receiving space 19; due to the annularity of the capillary 21, the upper portion 211 and the lower portion 212 are connected on two sides thereof; the brace 25 is a net frame or a plurality of supporting posts; this embodiment is exemplified by a net frame with a structure shown in FIG. 5 and composed of a net board and a plurality of supporting plates formed thereon and there beneath;

c) sintering the combination of the upper casing 11 and the lower casing 15 welded together in step b;

d) injecting a liquid working medium (which is not shown in the diagrams not only because it is liquid and thus difficult to depict, but also because it is a conventional element) from the crevice 18 into the receiving space 19, wherein the liquid working medium thus injected is of predetermined quantity; in this embodiment, a fine needle (which is disclosed in the prior art and thus is not shown in the diagrams) is inserted into the crevice 18, and the liquid working medium is injected into the receiving space 19 with the fine needle; and

e) clamping, with a clamp (which is known in the prior art and thus is not shown in the diagram), a combination of the upper casing 11 and the lower casing 15 into which the liquid working medium has been injected in step d) in a vacuum environment, putting the combination of the upper casing 11 and the lower casing 15 in a vacuum environment, and welding the crevice 18 quickly to seal the crevice 18 hermetically, so as to manufacture a finish product of an heat-dissipating device 10, as shown in FIG. 6. In this embodiment, the crevice 18 is welded by high-energy welding to serve an illustrative purpose, wherein the high-energy welding is one of electronic-beam welding, high-frequency argon arc welding, and laser welding.

By following the aforesaid steps, it is feasible to manufacture the heat-dissipating device 10 comprising the upper casing 11, the lower casing 15, the capillary 21, the brace 25, the liquid working medium, and the crevice 18. The receiving space 19 is defined between the upper casing 11 and the lower casing 15. The capillary 21, the brace 25, and the liquid working medium are disposed in the receiving space 19. The capillary 21 has an upper portion 211 and a lower portion 212. The upper portion 211 is in contact with the bottom surface of the upper casing 11. The lower portion 212 is in contact with the top surface of the lower casing 15. The brace 25 is positioned between the upper portion 211 and the lower portion 212 and adapted to space apart the upper portion 211 and the lower portion 212. The liquid working medium is of predetermined quantity.

The capillary 21 and the brace 25 are sintered to thereby be coupled to the upper casing 11 and the lower casing 15.

The crevice 18 is formed by welding a seam between the upper and lower casings 11, 15 and sealed hermetically by high-energy welding.

As indicated above, the seam between the upper and lower casings 11,15 is sealed hermetically. The upper portion 211 and the lower portion 212 of the capillary 21 in the receiving space 19 defined between the upper and lower casings 11,15 are in contact with inner surfaces of the upper and lower casings 11,15, respectively. The brace 25 spaces apart the upper portion 211 and the lower portion 212. Hence, given the space defined by the brace 25 and the capillarity of the capillary 21, the liquid working medium is provided with a satisfactory gaseous and liquid loop path while a phase change is taking place to thereby achieve a quick temperature uniformity. It has a liquid working medium injecting location (that is, the location of the crevice 18) which is a smooth hermetically sealed surface, and thus does not have a conventional exposed injection tube, and therefore is not confronted with issues pertaining to reliability of an exposed injection tube.

Hence, the manufacturing method and the resultant structures in the first embodiment, which have novelty over the prior art, not only feature absence of an exposed injection tube and thus reduction in required volume, but also feature satisfactory reliability and heat dissipation performance.

In the first embodiment, the capillary is a metallic mesh which is illustrative of the present invention rather than restrictive of its constituent ingredients or structure. Alternatively, the capillary is a sintered copper powder. A sintered copper powder is a conventional element, and the way it is installed is disclosed in the prior art; hence, the sintered copper powder is not described herein in detail for the sake of brevity.

Referring to FIG. 7, the differences between a method of manufacturing a heat-dissipating device without injection tube in the second preferred embodiment of the present invention and its counterpart in the first embodiment of the present invention are described as follows:

In step a), an upper wick 32 is disposed on the bottom surface of the upper casing 31, and a lower wick 36 is disposed on the top surface of the lower casing 35. In the second embodiment, the upper wick 32 and the lower wick 36 are a plurality of grooves.

Hence, the upper wick 32 and the lower wick 36 increase the channel of a liquid, such that the liquid working medium in the second embodiment has a better loop effect than the liquid working medium in the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, the upper wick and the lower wick are a plurality of grooves which are illustrative of the present invention rather than restrictive of their constituent ingredients or structure. Alternatively, the upper wick and the lower wick are a sintered copper powder or a metallic mesh. A sintered copper powder and a metallic mesh are conventional elements, and the way they are installed is disclosed in the prior art; hence, they are not described herein in detail for the sake of brevity.

The other structures, operation, and anticipated advantages of the second embodiment are the same as that of the first embodiment and thus are not described in detail herein for the sake of brevity.

Referring to FIG. 8 through FIG. 9, the differences between a method of manufacturing a heat-dissipating device without injection tube in the third preferred embodiment of the present invention and its counterpart in the first embodiment of the present invention are described as follows:

Step b) further involves positioning an upper auxiliary capillary 681 between the capillary 61 and the upper casing 51 and positioning a lower auxiliary capillary 682 between the capillary 61 and the lower casing 55 while positioning a capillary 61 and a brace 65 in the receiving space 59. The upper auxiliary capillary 681 and the lower auxiliary capillary 682 are a metallic mesh or a sintered copper powder. In the third embodiment, the upper auxiliary capillary 681 and the lower auxiliary capillary 682 are a metallic mesh to serve an illustrative purpose.

Unlike the first embodiment, the third embodiment features an upper auxiliary capillary 681 and a lower auxiliary capillary 682 and thereby features a loop-like path of a liquid working medium, thus further enhancing the quick temperature uniformity.

Furthermore, in the third embodiment, a layer of auxiliary capillary is disposed between the capillary and the upper and lower casings to increase the loop-like path. Understandably, two or more layers of auxiliary capillary are equivalent to a simple change to the third embodiment and thus should be covered by the claims of the present invention.

The other structures, operation, and anticipated advantages of the third embodiment are the same as that of the first embodiment and thus are not described in detail herein for the sake of brevity. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a heat-dissipating device without injection tube, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing an upper casing and a lower casing, wherein a receiving space is defined between the upper casing and the lower casing; b) positioning a capillary and a brace in the receiving space, welding the upper casing and the lower casing in a manner to seal a seam therebetween hermetically, and reserving a crevice, wherein the capillary comprises an upper portion and a lower portion, and the brace is positioned between the upper portion and the lower portion to support and space apart the upper portion and the lower portion; c) sintering a combination of the upper casing and the lower casing welded together in step b); d) injecting a liquid working medium from the crevice into the receiving space, wherein the liquid working medium thus injected is of predetermined quantity; and e) putting a combination of the upper casing and the lower casing into which the liquid working medium has been injected in step d) in a vacuum environment and welding the crevice quickly to seal the crevice hermetically.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein an upper wick is disposed on a bottom surface of the upper casing, and a lower wick is disposed on a top surface of the lower casing.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the upper wick and the lower wick are one of a plurality of grooves, a sintered copper powder, and a metallic mesh.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step e), the upper casing and the lower casing are clamped together with a clamp before step e) is performed.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step e), the crevice is hermetically sealed by high-energy welding.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the high-energy welding is one of electronic-beam welding, high-frequency argon arc welding, and laser welding.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step b), the capillary is one of a metallic mesh and a sintered copper powder.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step b), the brace is one of a net frame and a plurality of supporting posts.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the upper portion is in contact with a bottom surface of the upper casing, and the lower portion is in contact with a top surface of the lower casing.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein step b) further involves positioning an upper auxiliary capillary between the capillary and the upper casing and positioning a lower auxiliary capillary between the capillary and the lower casing while positioning a capillary and a brace in the receiving space.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the upper auxiliary capillary and the lower auxiliary capillary are one of a metallic mesh and a sintered copper powder.
 12. An heat-dissipating device manufactured by the method of claim 1, comprising: an upper casing and a lower casing, wherein a receiving space is defined therebetween; a capillary disposed in the receiving space and comprising an upper portion and a lower portion; a brace disposed in the receiving space, positioned between the upper portion and the lower portion, and adapted to space apart the upper portion and the lower portion; a liquid working medium disposed in the receiving space and being of predetermined quantity, wherein the capillary and the brace are sintered to thereby be coupled to the upper casing and the lower casing; and a crevice formed by welding a seam between the upper and lower casings and sealed hermetically by high-energy welding.
 13. The heat-dissipating device of claim 12, wherein the high-energy welding is one of electronic-beam welding, high-frequency argon arc welding, and laser welding.
 14. The heat-dissipating device of claim 12, wherein the capillary is one of a metallic mesh and a sintered copper powder.
 15. The heat-dissipating device of claim 12, wherein the brace is one of a net frame and a plurality of supporting posts.
 16. The heat-dissipating device of claim 12, wherein an upper wick is disposed on a bottom surface of the upper casing, and a lower wick is disposed on a top surface of the lower casing.
 17. The heat-dissipating device of claim 16, wherein the upper wick and the lower wick are one of a plurality of grooves, a sintered copper powder, and a metallic mesh.
 18. The heat-dissipating device of claim 12, wherein the upper portion is in contact with a bottom surface of the upper casing, and the lower portion is in contact with a top surface of the lower casing.
 19. The heat-dissipating device of claim 12, wherein an upper auxiliary capillary is disposed between the capillary and the upper casing, and a lower auxiliary capillary is disposed between the capillary and the lower casing.
 20. The heat-dissipating device of claim 19, wherein the upper auxiliary capillary and the lower auxiliary capillary are one of a metallic mesh and a sintered copper powder. 